Wish Upon a Snowflake
by Alissaaaa
Summary: Lily is unhappy. Her family has fallen apart and nothing seems to be going right. But can a reluctant friendship with James Potter show her that he's not the only one who needs to change and that wishes really can come true?
1. Prologue

**Something a little heavier perhaps than my previous stories, but i felt in a musing mood**

**disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling etc etc**

Wish Upon a Snowflake

Prologue

"…_And as the clock chimes midnight, catch a snowflake in your hand, close your eyes, and make a wish." I looked down at the almost perfectly formed snowflake resting in the palm of my hand, crumpled my sleepy eyes up tight and let my thoughts run away with me, making a wish before it melted... _

_Happy memories have a curious way of fading, most details languish and merge into one another, until all we are left with is a feeling of warmth, a glow emanating from somewhere deep in our hearts that puts a smile on our faces. And even though these recollections are vague and lacking in specifics, it is these memories and that warm feeling they create that helps us through dark times. I don't remember what it is that I wished for that night in the darkness; knee-deep in snow with snowflakes swirling all around me like frozen confetti; and my mother's soft whisper warm at my ear. I used to take happiness for granted, it's something we all do when we're young, however, someone once told me in a lucid moment that '__happiness is like a butterfly which appears and delights us for one brief moment, but soon flits away'__. As I stood alone in the darkness and stared at the snow drifting before me, fading in and out of the darkness, I allowed the snowflakes fall upon my cheeks, melting and merging with the tears trickling down my face at the painful memories. It was the first time that it had snowed on New Year's Eve since my mother had whispered in my ear to wish upon a snowflake, and the sore memories came flooding back. As the clock struck twelve, I captured a snowflake in my hand and let the nostalgia wash over me, wishing for the hurt to end, for my father to come home, for Petunia to forgive me and for my mother to get better. I wished to be able to feel as happy as I did that New Year's Eve so many years ago…_

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Half a year has passed since I wished on that snowflake, yet things at home have only been growing increasingly worse. I can probably pin the point from which everything started to spiral out of control, to the day my mother discovered that Dad was having an affair. I was eleven and didn't see it coming. Next thing I knew, he was gone, as if he'd evaporated into the frosty February air. He was a good father; one of my favourite childhood memories is of laughing helplessly at one of his many jokes while helping him build Petunia and I a tree-house in the bottom of our garden. His eyes always held a beautiful sincerity, one so pure that in our bitter and twisted world, many have come to fear. My father's eyes were the deep green of a rainforest, and just as beautiful, sparkling and brimming with integrity. I loved him. But I'll never forgive him for leaving us. It's hard to accept that your hero isn't all that you thought, it means the world you know crumbling around you and having to reconsider your morals, your goals and your dreams. Losing a hero is the opposite of hope. It's been six years and I'm still striving to regain that sanguinity. Unfortunately hope, like peace, isn't something that happens on its own, and isn't something we create for ourselves. Hope is something that we can only give to one another.

So it was with a feeling of relief that I boarded the Hogwarts Express and found an empty compartment on the big scarlet train. What struck me most about platform nine and three quarters the first time I stood in it wasn't the overwhelming and sudden presence of the wizarding world in the middle of London, it wasn't the surge of owls overhead or the huge scarlet beast in front of me, roaring and sending puffs of smoke swirling into the rafters. What stuck with me the most was the radiance in each and every face present at the platform; the joy lighting up the eyes of reunited friends; the love in the voices of the worried parents saying goodbye to their children, smothering them with hugs and kisses. Every time I cross through the ticket barrier into this world, I see a million smiles, and hear the wonderful sound of laughter I miss so much when at home, and it fills up the emptiness inside me. Looking out from my empty compartment, I can feel the laughter around me kindle my heart back into life, and I want to keep every one of those smiles. So with one such smile and a growing sense of hope, I focused my attention on the year to come, after all, this will be my last year, and I'm determined to make the most I can of it. Glancing down, I allowed myself a satisfied smile as I admired the shiny badge glinting on my chest, my head girl badge. This has been my dream for several years now, and I've sure as hell had to work for it. There are people you meet who are needlessly clever without even trying, I am by no means one of those people. I get top grades because I study, and I study hard, and I had very much earned that little piece of gold pinned to my robes. Unfortunately that's the way I've found life to be; you only get anywhere if you work hard for it, and though we all hate it at times, it's only fair.

As that very thought crossed my mind, I heard the door of my compartment slide open, I swivelled round in my seat to find myself staring at a smiling young man, he was not incredibly tall, but his broad shoulders and straight posture gave him an undeniable presence. His dark hair was rumpled and windswept, a couple of strands falling into his eyes as he leant against the doorway, his lopsided grin giving a boyish charm to his otherwise mature, chiselled features. I took all this in within the blink of an eye, my startled gaze was instead drawn to the glint of gold on James Potter's chest. It took me several more blinks before I fully registered its presence, and only then did my eyes fully widen, this was impossible.

"What the hell Potter?" were the only words my baffled mind could manage, however, and to my intense irritation they induced a self-satisfied smirk from the boy in question.

"Like what you see?" I bit my lip, for a split second feeling guilty for staring, I really didn't see how it was even possible that he could get increasingly more good looking with every summer, but his personality defects more than compensated for his looks. I spoke to him with frustration

"I frown upon stealing, I'd suggest you return Remus his badge before he realises." At this his smug grin only widened and my heart plummeted, the jibe had been nothing more than a fanciful wish, and we both knew it. Somehow, James Potter had made Head Boy, though I couldn't for the life of me figure out how. He certainly wasn't one of those people I had just been musing over who earned their achievements. The brutal reality was that I'd be stuck for the rest of the year working with the guy who laughed at the mere idea of work and insisted upon trying to make my life at Hogwarts as miserable as it was at home. As I watched him rumple his hair as he laughed at my apparently bewildered facial expression, I sensed all my positive thoughts evaporating like tiny drops of water on a hot day.

"I actually dropped by because McGonagall asked me to pass this onto you" he said stepping into the compartment and handing me a roll of parchment "it's the password's for all the common rooms" James said this with a huge grin, causing me to roll my eyes in exasperation at his immaturity.

"Anything else you needed to tell me?" I asked, snatching away the parchment and casting him a steely look.

"We have to be in Dumbledore's office first thing tomorrow morning" I nodded and turned my back to him, casting my gaze back at the window, the smiles beyond which had been replaced by undulating green fields. "…and lighten up Evans, it's our last year at Hogwarts, you should learn to live a bit and make the most of it" I could here the grin in his voice, but as I snapped my head back to reprimand him, he was already walking away, a bounce in his step as he turned into the corridor and disappeared into the throng of excited students.

This was _exactly_ what annoyed me so much about James Potter, with him as Head Boy relaxing was the last thing on my mind, I'd have to work twice as hard this year to compensate for his total ineptitude at the job. Besides, he had absolutely no right to tell me to lighten up when he didn't know the first thing about me, it was pretty clear that he was spoilt senseless at home and had never had a care in the world. I sighed heavily as I absentmindedly watched the fields flit by my window as I tried in vain to put Potter out of my mind.

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**Thanks for looking. Any feedback is, of course, always welcome**

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	2. Chapter 1:Home

**Author's note: I know it's been a terribly long time, and that I'm probably getting too old to be writing fanfiction, but I've missed it, so I guess here goes: let the creative juices flow! Lol (Reviews ALWAYS appreciated!)**

**Disclaimer: I think we all wish Harry Potter belonged to us. Unfortunately it doesn't**

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_Chapter One: Home_

Hogwarts came into view just as I finished memorising the list of passwords on the piece of parchment I was holding. Even through the slightly grimy window, the first glimpse of the castle never failed to take my breath away. The way it emerged from the lake, shimmering in the late afternoon sunlight, bordered by the forbidden forest, its dark trees fading and disappearing into the distance. I always found something appealing about the forest, pretty much the only rule breaking I have ever done is wandering amongst those trees. In the winter, the ground is blanketed by a thin layer of fog, enveloping the inhabitants of the undergrowth; protecting them from the danger of the outside world. That's what I feel like when I wander into the forest. Protected. The closer I become to nature, the further away I feel from the warped unnaturalness that is my life at home: no father, an alcoholic mother, and a sister who hates my guts…But I chose not to dwell; I was back at Hogwarts and I wasn't going to let my gloomy perspective of life ruin what I was determined to make a good year.

I breathed in the fresh highland air as I climbed off the Hogwarts express, and felt my face light up with a smile just like those I had so admired earlier on the platform as I scanned the crowd for my friends, wandering why I hadn't seen them on the train. As this thought crossed my mind, I caught sigh of two grinning girls running at me, elbowing through the crowded platform in their frantic attempt to reach me. Alice, Emilie and I had been inseparable since first year; from our very first journey on the Hogwarts express in fact. Alice was always smiling and laughing; she was the one who kept spirits up in the group even when everything seemed to be going wrong, I still find her lovely smile contagious…. and then there's Emilie; so glamorous that she could become one of those muggle models without even blinking. She's never let her looks go to her head though; she has a very quick tongue – ready with a witty retort to virtually anything, and speaks four languages. And I, of course, am the bookish one. I'm the one that gives everyone notes when they fall asleep in the lesson or help with homework. Sometimes, I think if not for those two, I would just live with my head in a book and never come out. For that, to them I am very grateful.

After a couple suffocating hugs, naturally, the glint of gold on my robes caught Emilie and Alice's instant attention.

"We knew it" Alice grinned from ear to ear

"This bodes well for getting away with rule-breaking" Emilie winked, causing me to roll my eyes. All the same, I knew she was right. After all, since first year, I'd come a long way in learning that in fact, a little rule breaking is always fun, and that as long as it's within reason, it's even expected. I winked back, unable to bring myself to deny the obvious.

"So, who's head boy then?" Alice asked excitedly. At this remark I evidently pulled a face, causing Emilie to laugh

"Clearly not Remus, then"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I exclaimed, my cheeks flushing slightly. It's a joke between Alice and Emilie that I have a thing for Remus you see…which is of course absolutely untrue. (As for the blushing, it's just because I'm a redhead and am cursed with blushing at virtually anything, embarrassing or not!) My two friends seemed to disagree, as they exchanged knowing glances.

"So, who is it?" Alice continued probing.

"You'll find out soon enough" I rolled my eyes "God knows that boy can't keep his mouth shut" I added in a grumpy undertone.

"Well, whoever it is", Emilie commented "you should really be joining him about now to lead the way across the lake for the first years…" I cursed and the girls giggled as I ran off towards the boats, bobbing on the darkening lake.

As head girl, it was my duty to lead the way to the castle. As was Potters. I was really hoping at this point that he'd take the predictable route of neglecting his duties and riding in one of the carriages with his fellow 'Marauders' as they so fondly call themselves. Naturally, the moment this thought crossed my mind, it was immediately shattered by a strong arm being flung round my shoulders accompanied by a 'hey Lils'. There's something that makes me uncomfortable about close contact with others: I just don't like being touched… I guess I need to feel in control all the time, so when someone puts their arm around me or tries to massage my shoulders or something, I just freeze up… call me frigid, but that's the way it is. So, trying not to appear uncomfortable, I shook Potter's admittedly rather muscular arm off my shoulders with an expression of disgust on my face.

"Of all the boats to pick, Potter!" I snarled, already anticipating the impending line he was to come out with, something along the lines of 'well, I needed a closer look, you see, you look a lot like my next girlfriend'

"It's the rule that the head boy and girl lead the way" He shrugged, making me bite back the retort I had already prepared, rather annoyed at my having jumped to self-flattering conclusions and uncomfortable that I had been the one to forget my duties, not him. I was, though a little taken aback at the fact that hadn't taken advantage of the opportunity to lay some stupid line on me. I moved away to the opposite end of the boat and pushed off from the shore. The first years all looked a little nervous as they whispered of the monsters that lived in the depths of the lake to each other: naturally, the giant squid came up, but also sirens, sea serpents, and even the Loch Ness Monster, which caused Potter to chuckle.

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It was with relief that I sunk into my seat between Emilie and Alice at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall as the sorting began. My attention was focused on the ceremony. After all, it was now pretty much my responsibility to make sure the first years settled in and were comfortable in their houses. Holly Newton was sent to Hufflepuff and Andres Santes' name was called out to approach the hat. At this my attention was distracted from the sorting to find Sirius Black and James Potter sniggering a few seats away from us, Peter Pettigrew giggling nervously in their wake. I hissed at them to be quiet, but Sirius just laughed louder

"His name is 'undress!'"

"Oh, get a grip!" I was getting annoyed now, as they were turning heads, at least the poor boy under the sorting hat seemed oblivious at the mocking for now. "Wait a second, where's Remus?" I asked, suddenly noticing the absence of one of the members of the inseparable foursome.

"He'll be back in a few days" Potter informed me

"Oh, is everything ok?"

"Why would you care about a Marauders' wellbeing anyway?" Alice grinned at me

"I don't. Well I'd care if anyone was unwell." I defended myself from my now two grinning friends; "its just Lupin is the one who can generally be relied upon to keep these two idiots quiet during important ceremonies such as this."

"Sure", was Emilie's sarcastic response.

"SLYTHERIN" the hat cried, the Marauders' attention was diverted back to Andres, now stumbling over to an empty seat at the end of the green-clad table, and the sniggers resumed.

After the ceremony came to a close, as we all dug into our food, suddenly ravenous after the long journey, we were approached by Professor McGonagall, our newly appointed head of house. She handed Potter and I each a stack of timetables to distribute at breakfast the next day.

"I'm sure you are both aware of your head duties, but since I'm here, allow me to remind you." She spoke evenly; addressing both of us "you will be required to carry out rounds every evening. You may construct your own roter for this, but they must do a round together at least twice a week. You are, of course, also responsible for holding prefect meetings where you will settle any problems with inter-house relations and deal with day-to-day affairs" As McGonagall talked, I watched Potter's face screw up into one of annoyance. Clearly, he had forgotten that the title of head boy endowed one with more responsibilities than flashing his badge at his admirers and deducting points from Slytherin. "…And last of all, you will also be in charge of social events. The previous few years, the head students weren't very enthusiastic on that front; but I am confident that between the two of you, you'll come up with plenty ideas to distract the students of Hogwarts from working" Potter's eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across his face, as he exchanged crafty looks with Sirius. "And last of all, as head of Gryffindor, I will be expecting both of you to behave at all times". With a meaningful glance at each of us in turn, she walked off at a brisk step, to chide some students at the far end of the table.

I was horrified. What did she mean by the _both _of us? I _always _behave! I looked up to find my two friends and the three Marauders laughing at my facial expression. I cast a sweeping look of disdain and diverted all my concentration back to my plate.


End file.
